EMERGENCY departments at Gwent hospitals had their busiest month for two years in July, as almost one-in-five patients waited longer than four hours to be dealt with.

The 14,831 patients who attended A&E at the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals, the emergency department at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, and the minor injuries unit at Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan represented the biggest monthly usage since July 2014.

And 80.3 per cent of patients were dealt with inside four hours, the lowest rate since March.

Just 71 per cent of those attending A&E at the Royal Gwent last month were dealt with inside four hours, though this was better than three other units in Wales, including that at Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

And 561 patients waited longer than 12 hours in A&E at the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall combined during July, again the highest monthly amount since March.

Gwent emergency units have been among best performers in recent times for the percentage of patients dealt with inside four hours, though like units across Wales, they have not hit the 95 per cent target for several years.

But July performance was the second lowest of the six Welsh health boards with emergency units - and a comparison with July last year indicates how performance has declined.

In July 2015, 88.3 per cent of patients attending an emergency unit were dealt with inside four hours, the second best performance in Wales. There were also 215 waits of more than 12 hours.

It must be noted that there were more than 600 fewer attendances too in July last year.

Overall attendances continue to rise, but the key issue is an increase in older patients with more serious and complex problems.

Staffing of emergency units remains a difficult issue, and this is compounded by the fact that the lay-out of A&E at the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall is challenging.

A major expansion of the unit at the Royal Gwent is set for completion in the autumn, and plans are being drawn up for a revamp of the unit at Nevill Hall.